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Metrotown fire takes out carport, 8 cars

A passerby views the aftermath of a fire at 4675 Imperial St. on Nov. 16 that destroyed a carport structure, destroyed four vehicles and caused significant damage to four others. It led to an area power outage to more than 1,500 homes. There were no injuries.

Burnaby Fire Department say they still haven't determined the cause of a fire in the Metrotown area on Friday night.

That's despite some media reports suggesting it may have started with a light fixture, said acting assistant chief Rick Weir on Monday.

What is known is the department received a call about the fire at 6:37 p.m. on Nov. 16 and it soon became a two-alarm call, bringing nine fire trucks and 30 firefighters to the scene, Weir said.

The fire started in a carport at the rear of an apartment building at 4675 Imperial St. "The carport was totally engulfed in flames upon our arrival."

By the time the blaze was put out, the carport structure had collapsed and eight vehicles were damaged.

A primary hydro line above the fire scene was arcing at the pole, so the area had to be secured and evacuated until BC Hydro crews could arrive and shut down power to it before the firefighting could continue, Weir said.

Power was out to more than 1,500 Hydro customers in the area as a result and wasn't restored completely until almost 9 p.m. the next night, according BC Hydro's outages report.

Paramedics treated one person for an anxiety attack but otherwise there were no injuries, Weir said. Residents of the apartment building, which was not damaged, were allowed to return to their homes later that night.

Of the eight vehicles affected, four were a total loss and four suffered "significant damage," he said. The carport was also a total loss in the fire, which he estimated caused more than $100,000 in damages not counting the cars.

Burnaby RCMP Corp. Dave Reid said at the present time the fire has not been deemed suspicious but police are still investigating.

"We can't rule out anything," Reid said, "but there's no reason to believe that it is [suspicious]."

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